Richard Morino: Candidate Profile

Back to Wauconda Village Board

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: WaucondaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rich-Morino-Candidate-for-Trustee-1048205915295187/Office sought: Wauconda Village Board Age: 46Family: Married for 15 years to Jill Morino, and have two sons, aged 12 and 9.Occupation: Technology ExecutiveEducation: B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignCivic involvement: * Wauconda Triathlon Committee* Served as head coach and assistant coach of various kids sports teams * Frequent attendee of both Wauconda Village and Committee meetings (especially Economic Development)*PTO volunteer* Bulldog Nation Foundation supporterElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?First, I bring a passion for Wauconda. Since moving here in 2008 we have decided that we will raise our family here, and stay here in Wauconda when we become empty nesters.Second, I bring an analytic skill set. I will examine the data first, then will seek community input. I do not come with a prepared agenda. Rather I seek to make decision based only on what is good for our community in the short and long-term.Finally, I bring many skills developed over the years in business. While I have no illusions that a Village can be run like a business, working with a large amount of stakeholders, gaining input and driving consensus for a successful outcome is in my DNA.What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Anyone who has lived in Lake County for the last several years knows our property taxes are too high. I am proud to be running on a ticket that has worked relentlessly to reduce the burden of property taxes on Wauconda residents.Today the Wauconda Village accounts for only 10-11% of your property taxes. If elected, I will focus on making sure we provide the highest available services at the lowest possible cost. We believe that it is possible to work with other inter government agencies to reduce the burden of certain projects on Wauconda residents. We also believe that residents can play an active role in committees that can reduce the need for head count at the Village level.Rate the efficiency of your town's police and fire coverage. Are the departments well prepared for the next decade? What, if anything, should be changed? Do you have specific public safety concerns?I am very pleased with our police and fire coverage. In Wauconda, the police department is part of Village services. Whereas I have always been proud of our police department, I am particularly impressed with job Chief Wermes and his team have delivered since his arrival.I have nothing but respect for all members of the Wauconda Fire Department and the work they do for Wauconda and the surrounding communities.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?This year the budget only increased 0.01% to Wauconda residents, and that increase was mandated to fund police pensions. Wauconda runs a skeleton staff to deliver all the services we provide. Any further reductions in budget will likely have to come from inter-government agreements. Fortunately, the Wauconda Forward slate has that experience, with Lake Michigan Water being a good example.As for where we could apply more budget, once we have more revenue come in I would be in favor or a dedicated economic development FTE to reach out to potential businesses about relocating to Wauconda.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?An idea I am fond of pursuing is developing separate economic zones for the 3 main business areas within Wauconda:1) the Face - Main Street2) the Artery - 1763) the Heart - corporate business parksEach of these zones attract different businesses and customers. If elected, I would like to partner with each community to see how we can enhance their business operations and encourage entrepreneurs and established businesses to call Wauconda home. The more sales tax we can bring in, the more we can reduce the burden on property tax.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?3 issues which I believe are important to our community are:1) deliver High-quality/low-cost services2) Increase business revenue in order to reduce the burden on property taxes3) Bring Lake Michigan Water to the Village of WaucondaPlease name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope FrancisWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Don't drive your big wheel across the street or it will get chained up. (There are consequences for violating the rules of the house.)If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I gave up my Cubs season tickets a few seasons too early.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History. I am quite good at Trivial PursuitIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Family first, take your responsibilities seriously but enjoy your life.